Recap & Handouts: It Takes a Village: Working Together Online

This Saturday we co-hosted "It Takes a Village: Working Together Online" with our friends from New Jersey News Commons and Jersey Shore Hurricane News. For this event we departed from the usual journalism basic training -- and shifted gears and focused on new media skills and tools. At the end of the day you probably heard chattering about RebelMouse, Feedly, Wordpress, Google Maps Engine, Document Cloud, and so much more! Guests left saying, "I have a lot of new words to go home and google."

Despite all the technical lingo, it was clear to everyone how simple and accessible these online tools are. Anyone can become their own mini-news empire with the right set of focus and determination using these online tools.

Special thanks to our co-hosts and teachers from New Jersey News Commons, Jersey Shore Hurricane News, Star-Ledger, Adapt NY, and Broadstreet Ads. Everyone who attended said they learned so much at the event -- and not just generic stuff - but information that they can do something with!

If you couldn't make it, we will be rolling out video of most of the breakouts, as well as posting the powerpoints and handouts.

If you wanted to come, but couldn't make it, we have one more citizen journalism training lined up for Saturday, November 16 at Middelsex County College. This session is geared towards how citizen journalists can investigate how prepared our towns are for another storm and dive into potential solutions. Visit our events page to sign up.

CROWDSOURCING NEWS

HOW TO SET UP A BLOG

VIDEOJOURNALISM

Music Through the Wall - The Citizens Campaign

On certain nights in downtown Jersey City, on the corner of Christopher Colombus and Barrow St, passersby get treated to a live musical performance that may or may not last only a few seconds depending on how fast they're walking. This isn't the usual musical corner, mind you. There's no street musician or stereo playing out…

Stay Connected

Optional email code

Solutions Must:

Beneficial to the Community as a Whole

Evidence-Based

Cost-Effective

and Implemented with our Proven No-Blame Approach

Paths to Power

Latest News

It isn't surprising that people with talent and leadership ability are thinking twice about participating in politics and government, turned-off by the finger-pointing and partisan gridlock that contribute to the shear difficulty of getting anything constructive done.

That is why The Citizens Campaign has constructed an alternative to today's dysfunctional politics, one that provides a safe civic space welcoming citizens who want to improve their city or hometown free of negativity and political wrangling.

The Citizens Campaign yesterday announced the formation of Newark Civic Trust, marking the occasion with the 36 selected Newark Civic Trustees coming together with key strategic partners at a kick-off meeting to be held this evening at PSEG headquarters. The Trustees were chosen for their leadership ability and commitment to working together developing and advancing evidence-based solutions that benefit the City.

The Newark Civic Trustees are committing themselves to work together to “leave their city better than they found it” and are guided by three principals: that solutions benefit the city above all, are cost-effective, and are evidence-based — all wrapped in a “no blame” ethos. The Trustees volunteer to serve for a term of at least one year and their responsibilities also include governing their Trust, including prioritizing their own issues and recruiting new Trustees so the Trust continues to thrive well into the future.

The Citizens Campaign says Perth Amboy’s public schools have a 60 percent graduation rate. But, the campaign suggests the school district can raise the rate by using a tested and proven code of conduct that includes discipline, mentoring and internships and more.

“We received a positive response so I’m really hopeful and excited about the difference that we’re going to be making,” said Civic Trustee Lisette Lebron.

That approach is called the Civic Trustee Initiative. A hallmark of it is not pointing fingers.

“That starts taking over the conversation. You have to be able to harness that emotion and say, ‘What can we do?’” Lebron said.

“People are running for the exits from the civic arena,” said The Citizens Campaign Chairman Harry Pozycki.